India Vs Australia, 4th Test 2023 Fantasy Prediction and Top Picks

The fourth and final match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will take place on March 9 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

In front of 100,000 fans, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, Rohit Sharma and Steve Smith will marshal their troops to decide the fate of the series.

The first two Tests at Nagpur and Delhi saw India trounce Australia before the visitors secured a win in the third Test match at Indore. That win ensured their qualification in the ICC World Test Championship final.

The 4th Test is a must-win for India if they need to book their spot in the final to face Australia at The Oval in June.

Should the hosts lose the Test match or if the match ends in a draw, the final spot will depend on the outcome of the New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Test series.

Here, Sri Lanka is in with a slim chance of qualifying for the final, and for that to happen they must beat the Kiwis 2-0. New Zealand is out of the race to qualify for the World Test Championship.

4th India Vs Australia Match – Date and Time

The 4th match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be played from March 9-13. It will start at 9:30 AM IST.

Venue

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the 4th India vs Australia Test match.

Live Streaming

Viewers can watch the 4th India vs Australia Test match on the Star Sports network. Additionally, they can stream the match on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website or the Jio TV app.

India’s Playing XI for the 4th Test

To everyone’s surprise, Mohammed Shami did not feature in the 3rd Test at Indore and was replaced by Umesh Yadav, who did not disappoint.

And with Shami expected to return to the playing XI, it will be interesting to see who out of Yadav and Mohammed Siraj features as the second seamer.

India might choose to stick with Yadav, as his run-scoring ability comes in handy at the bottom.

Moreover, it may give Siraj a well-deserved rest ahead of the ODI series against Australia.

India wicket-keeper Srikar Bharat, who was included in the team after Rishabh Pant’s road accident kept him away from any form of participation, has scored only 57 runs in five innings, inciting whispers about Ishan Kishan’s possible inclusion in the starting XI.

Coach Rahul Dravid, however, continues to back Bharat.

Predicted playing XI:

• Shubman Gill
• Rohit Sharma (c)
• Chesteshwar Pujara
• Virat Kohli
• Srikar Bharat
• Shreyas Iyer
• Ravindra Jadeja
• Ravichandran Ashwin
• Axar Patel
• Umesh Yadav
• Mohammed Shami

Australia’s Playing XI

Steve Smith will again have Australia’s reins in his hands, as permanent skipper Pat Cummins has decided to stay back home beside his ailing mother.

As for their team selection, the visitors might go with the same winning combination from Indore Test.

Although the Ahmedabad pitch is not expected to be an out and out rank turner, should that be the case, Australia might bring in a batter to replace Mitchell Starc.

Predicted playing XI:

• Usman Khwaja
• Travis Head
• Marnus Labuschagne
• Steve Smith (c)
• Cameron Green,
• Peter Handscomb
• Alex Carey
• Mitchell Starc
• Nathan Lyon
• Todd Murphy
• Matthew Kuhnemann

Pitch Report

There are conflicting reports when it comes to the performance of the Ahmedabad pitch for the 4th Test.

While Dravid claims the pitch is a rank turner and will start spinning from Day 1, Australia stand-in captain Steve Smith says that it might be the best batting wicket of the series.

Axar Patel averages 9 with the ball at this ground, having claimed 20 wickets, including three 5-wicket hauls.

India Vs Australia 4th Test Fantasy Prediction

Despite India suffering a loss in the 3rd Test, fantasy cricket fans can confidently back the Rohit Sharma-led side for the Ahmedabad Test.

Fantasy cricket players can be best advised to include more all-rounders and spinners as the pitch will benefit them at some point, if not from Day 1 itself.

Axar Patel stands out as the captaincy choice having performed exceptionally well in Ahmedabad previously, and his current form with the bat, which makes him the second-highest run-getter in the series so far.

• Rohit Sharma
• Usman Khawaja
• Marnus Labuschagne
• Peter Handscomb (wk)
• Ravindra Jadeja
• Ravichandran Ashwin
• Axar Patel (c)
• Cameron Green
• Nathan Lyon (VC)
• Matthew Kuhnemann
• Mohammed Shami

Verdict

Fans can continue backing Rohit Sharma & Co. despite losing the 3rd Test. Indian batters, however, need to be wary of their shot selection, as that was one of the contributing factors that led to the team’s defeat.

Indian spinners, on the other hand, have been at an all-time high, dominating the Australians like never before and licking their lips even before the first ball is bowled.

India’s lower order is clicking with the bat as well, contributing with runs in this Test series that can only be described as handy.

India has already won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but the WTC final berth has eluded them for a while. With a top-quality performance similar to the first 2 Tests, the hosts can secure their place to face Australia in the final.

The weather in Ahmedabad, too, will play somewhat of a factor, making it difficult for the visiting team to cope with the heat.

India can naturally thrive in the local conditions, with Axar Patel again taking centre stage to help India book their place in the WTC final.